Getting your Groove back

The dull thud of the bass drum, the slap of the snare, the sizzle of the high hats, the crash of the symbols, the low round notes of the bass guitar melding together to drive a song, to push it, to keep it together.  This is the groove of the song, it is one of those things you never notice until it is off.  The drummer speeds up and slows down or the bass player tries to do too much or too little and it is off and noticeably so. It is a symbiotic relationship. You generally never remember the groove but are more likely to remember the melody line, the hook, that is what gets stuck in your head, but the grove is what gets you tapping your feet or drumming your finger tips on the desk. 

I have played with many drummers over the years and by far the best relationship was with my brother.  Of course much of our DNA is identical so perhaps that helps but we knew what each other was going to do without it being said.  When he went to a drum role I knew to follow and I instinctively knew when he would end it.  I knew how to fit my bass line to compliment his drum style and when it was on it was magical.   With him it was instantaneous but with other drummers it took time and learning, it took defining the patterns, marking the timing, taking note of the style.

If you are married and have a family you and your wife produce the groove for your family, you push it, keep it on time, and in sync.  There are times when you get out of sync for one reason or another and just like the bass and drums it is noticeable.  We went through this recently as our family grew from 3 children to 5 children in a matter of days.  It threw us off our groove and it has been noticeable.  It has been about a month now and I finally feel the groove coming back, things are clicking and, the toes are starting to tap again, and the fingers starting to drum.  It is not audible, just like in music you feel the groove you don't always hear it. It is easy to disrupt the groove with practically anything but weather you realize it or not your family depends on that groove between you and your spouse. They may not know it but they can feel when it is off.  There will be many more disruptions to the groove but it is important we as parents get back in sync as quickly as possible.  Without it our lead instruments, our hooks, our children will have no foundation to spring from.